Re: "a question of where you put Grandma"

On 13 Apr 2007 22:17:21 -0700, "JTEM" <jtem01@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in
<1176527841.389124.209840@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> :

"Ken Shackleton" <ken.shackle...@xxxxxxx> wrote:

[snip]

2. It would be impossible for Archaeopteryx to climb a
tree.

And it was. Even the imaginary study of its claws that
your fellow kept drooling about disputed the notion of
it climbing trees. Plain & simple: It has the body of
a distinctly ground-dwelling dinosaur. In fact, without
the feathers, there would be absolutely no argument here,
no question.

Oh. The above isn't speculation. There were archaeopteryx
fossils discovered, sans feathers,

Since all but possibly one of the examples of Archaeotperyx have
feathers, this is, quite simply, a lie.


and nobody ever so
much as hinted at anything approaching an arboreal
lifestyle.

Nope. Not one human being on the face of the
planet saw anything that would place it in a tree.

Fancy that.

Wrong again:

The combination of maniraptoran hand, anisodactyl foot with
laterally compressed claws, and small size makes _Archaeopteryx_
well adapted for climbing.
- Elzanowski, A. 2002. Archaeopterygidae (Upper Jurassic of
Germany). In "Mesozoic Birds: Above the Heads of Dinosaurs",
edited by Luis Chiappe and Lawrence Witmer, pp. 129-159. Berkeley
and Los Angeles, California: University of California Press, Ltd.

That the arms were larger and stronger than the legs indicates
that the former were the primary organs of locomotion and could
have been used for quadrupedal climbing.
- Part of caption to figure 9.2 in: Paul, G. 2002. Dinosaurs of
the Air: The Evolution and Loss of Flight in Dinosaurs and Birds.
Baltimore: The John Hopkins University Press.

...the claws of the pes (hind foot) and manus (front hand) of
Archaeopteryx exhibit degrees of curvature typical of perching
and trunk-climbing birds, respectively.
- Feduccia, A. 1993. Evidence from Claw Geometry Indicating
Arboreal Habits of _Archaeopteryx_. Science 259:790-792.

Climbing with the sharp, bent claws on its fingers and toes,
_Archaeopteryx_ could have ascended a tree in preparation for a
flight or to find food, mates or shelter.
- Wellnhofer, P. 1990. Archaeopteryx. Scientific American
262(5):70-77.

No feathers mentioned.

[snip]

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: "a question of where you put Grandma"
    ... So much for "There were archaeopteryx fossils discovered, ... planet saw anything that would place it in a tree. ... laterally compressed claws, ... well adapted for climbing. ...
    (talk.origins)
  • Re: The insanity keeps coming
    ... planet saw anything that would place it in a tree. ... laterally compressed claws, and small size makes _Archaeopteryx_ ... well adapted for climbing. ...
    (talk.origins)
  • Re: "a question of where you put Grandma"
    ... the feathers, there would be absolutely no argument here, ... were archaeopteryx fossils discovered, sans feathers..." ... laterally compressed claws, ... well adapted for climbing. ...
    (talk.origins)
  • Re: "a question of where you put Grandma"
    ... the feathers, there would be absolutely no argument here, ... were archaeopteryx fossils discovered, sans feathers..." ... laterally compressed claws, ... well adapted for climbing. ...
    (talk.origins)
  • Re: "a question of where you put Grandma"
    ... The really odd thing about archaeopteryx & climbing ... "Tree Climbing" was as strong as ever. ... But by "Claws," they mean the front claws. ...
    (talk.origins)